TRANS FATS: A big fat movement!
THE ANTI TRANS FATS MOVEMENT
A big, fat movement is sweeping across the world and it has very major implications for the food industry. Yet Singapore seems largely oblivious to it.
This is a movement to eliminate and, in some cases, ban the use of trans fatty acids such as margarine. These are artificial fats, created by turning liquid vegetable oils into semi-solid fats through a process called hydrogenation.
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These artificial fats are now recognised by scientists to be highly dangerous to health, causing heart disease, obesity and other degenerative disease. They are now seen as being far more harmful than saturated fats – which, some scientists now say, are not harmful at all!
One Harvard University report estimates that trans fatty acids cause close to 100,000 premature deaths in America each year.
Right now, these deadly substances are found in hundreds of thousands of food products, particularly baked flour products such as breads, cakes, pastries, cookies and biscuits, but also chocolate, peanut butter, potato chips, etc, etc.
Read the ingredients list. If you see words like "partially hydrogenated / hydrogenated vegetable oil" or "shortening", avoid such products.
In addition, partially hydrogenated cooking oils – which contain these harmful fats – are commonly used in restaurants, including fast food as well as upmarket restaurants.
CHANGES HAVE BEGUN
All this could soon change.
The movement to eliminate harmful artificial fats actually began more than 30 years ago when a few scientists, such as oils and fats expert Dr Mary G Enig, began to warn about their dangers. At the time, those warnings were largely ignored.
As scientific evidence against these artificial fats mounted, scientists, governments, food manufacturers and consumers began to wake up to their dangers.
Denmark
Denmark was the first to act. In March 2003, Denmark banned all fats and oils that contain more than 2 percent trans fats – which means most of the margarine found on our supermarket shelves! The penalty for violation is a fine and up to two years in prison.
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Canada
In February 2004, Canadian Member of Parliament introduced a bill in Parliament calling for a ban on trans fatty acids.
On November 18, the New Democratic Party, a minor political party in Canada, again introduced a bill in Parliament calling for a ban. That same day, Health Canada (the Canadian Health Ministry) announced the formation of a task force to "develop recommendations and strategies for reducing trans fats in Canadian foods to the lowest levels possible."
On November 23, the Canadian House of Commons passed a motion calling for regulations or a law to limit such fats in all food products.
USA
Over in the United States, the US Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services issued new dietary guideline in January 2005, with the advice to "keep trans fatty acids consumption to as low as possible".
And from January 2006, the US Foods and Drugs Administration requires all food labels to state the content of trans fatty acids.
Individual US cities have taken action too.
On August 10, 2005, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene asked the City's restauranteurs and food suppliers to voluntarily withdraw all trans fats from their kitchens.
Meanwhile, the city of Tiburon on the San Francisco Bay, working with the lobby group, BanTransFats.com, has become America's first "Trans-fat Free” city. Throughout the city, restaurants place lage stickers with the words “We use trans fat free cooking oil!”
Wild Oats
Major food companies have begun to eliminate trans fats as well. In February 2004, the US Natural Foods retailer, Wild Oats, removed all products containing trans fatty acids from its 101 natural foods supermarkets.
Oreo
In April 2004, Nabisco, a subsidiary of Kraft Foods, introduced three new varieties of its popular Oreo cookies that contain zero transfats.
Crisco
Also in April 2004, J M Smucker Company, owner of the Crisco brand, introduced a new shortening with zero transfats. This is made with fully hydrogenated oil – which contains no trans fatty acids but is so hard that it cannot be used for cooking – blended with liquid vegetable oils.
Campbell Soup
In September 2004, Campbell Soup Company removed trans fatty acids from its Goldfish crackers, a highly popular snack widely consumed by children.
Fast food restaurants
In April 2005, 24 of Canada's largest restaurants, including fast food chains like A&W, Burger King, McDonald's and Pizza Hut, launched a voluntary programme that would give consumers detailed nutritional information about their meals, including the content of trans fatty acids.
SITUATION IN SINGAPORE
What is happening here in Singapore?
Well, Sunshine Bakeries has introduced a new bread with zero trans fatty acids. But that's about it.
In March this year, one regular contributor to the "Letters to the Editor” pages, Dr Lim Boon Hee, made a call for such fats to be listed on food labels.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Agency (AVA), which administers food labelling regulations here, replied that "At present, it is not a compulsory requirement for food manufacturers to declare trans fatty acids... AVA's food labelling regulations are in line with international guidelines....”
Subject closed. No one else pursued the matter.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Medical Association website has an article that states: “Margarine is preferred to butter… ”
The KK Women's and Children's Hospital website advises: “Choose unsaturated margarine…”
Earlier this year, the Singapore General Hospital's Department of Dietetics and Nutrition published a cookbook titled Where is the Fat? It contains several recipes using margarine, or using butter and with a note suggesting that margarine could be substituted.
The Health Promotion Board does have an article on its website about the dangers of transfats, but the HPB continues to encourage the consumption of margarine.
The HPB has also awarded its “Healtheir Choice” label to several brands of bread made with vegetable shortening or hydrogenated fats, all of which contain harmful trans fatty acids.
Many of our local health “experts” seem unaware of this big fat movement that is spreading across the world.
Why?
This was the article that started it all in Singapore.
On 30 November 2005, an edited version of this article was published as a News Commentary in TODAY newspaper – Singapore's second largest circulation English language newspaper – with the headline, Food with a health warning. It was the first major newspaper commentary on the subject of trans fats.
Subsequently, press coverage of the topic increased and more people began writing to the press calling on the government to take firmer action, such as banning trans fats or requiring mandatory food labelling.
The government remains reluctant to act – apart from working behind the scenes to encourage food manufacturers to switch to less harmful ingredients.
However, it has at least responded to the voices of concerned citizens. On several occasions, the Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Health Promotion Board personally replied to press letters on the subect of trans fats.
And on 21 December 2006, the Singapore Health Promotion Board and Singapore Heart Foundation called a joint press conference to explain their stance on the issue.
Disappointly, however, the said the issue was "a small problem“ and so they did not feel that stronger action was needed.
Click here to read my response to the 21 December press conference about trans fats.
